It is starting to get cold and wet now...

Well, for us, it appears that the nice weather is going away, and we are getting into the time of the year when there is rain, and it is generally colder. It is funny - my office looks out onto our lake here, and the trees have been dropping leaves over the past month or so. As I look out, there is a variety of colour around the side of the lake, which looks quite nice. (Now thinking about it - I should take a picture!)

On the weekend, Tara and I were discussing how we had not updated the blog recently. I was talking a while ago about how we should post something that talks about things we find "different" about being here in the USA.

Because there has been nothing much else happening, we are looking as though that will be something to write about.

I was going to start by saying "a funny thing happened on the way to the office" . . . It is almost true though. When we first arrived - and this did not happen just once, it has been something we have seen a few times - we saw someone, merrily driving along - reading a book. Yes, you read that right - they were reading a book while attempting to drive their car. We thought this was funny - albeit dangerous, but funny. We also thought that it was likely to be something we saw only once - but it was not. We have seen several people doing the same thing.

So, here are a few other "interesting things" to note (not all about driving);

• It is NOT illegal in Oregon to talk on the mobile phone while driving, although it is discouraged.
• A common phrase used is "there you go..." (specially when watching the kids play soccer)
• When it says "FAT FREE" it does not mean healthy (that applies anywhere)
• The price displayed is only valid if you have a store card (every store has their own discount card)
• Junk mail is not as common here, but if you buy Sunday's paper - you get pretty much 60% junk mail, and 40% news. (We toss the news - it is really not very good quality anyway)
• World news simply means "out of this state" (e.g. news about Washington DC is considered world news)
• Primetime TV runs from 8pm until 11pm. (And YES we do stay up that late, because a lot of the good shows start at 10pm)
• Primtime TV starts ON TIME. (Something that Australia needs to work out. If a show is published to start at 9pm here, it starts right on the dot of 9pm)
• Starbucks is almost on every corner - and inside of Safeway!
• They do things BIG here. (most of the stores are big, the cars are big)
• Petrol is CHEAP here. (Today we saw it for $2.36 per gallon, which works out to around 0.62c per litre)
• It is a disposable society. They seem to love the BIG SCREEN TV, but when the technology becomes old (i.e. within 6 months) they are ready to go out and buy the next best thing
• They serve soft drink in "bottomless" cups - which means they just keep refilling
• They let you take home what you have left at the end of the meal in a restaurant - so you take home what you paid for!

I am sure there is more things that we will find as we stay here longer, but I thought I would share a few with you for now.

Soon it will be Halloween, then after that is thanks giving, then Christmas. There are a lot of houses with decorations for Halloween, which we hope to post some pictures of. Thanks giving will be a new experience for us - by the looks of things though, Turkey may be short this year, so we may have to just get away with having sliced deli turkey!